Heart-Knocking Bell

Ye Yan searched the unconscious Julie almost thoroughly.

His fingers brushed over a hidden pocket at her waist, touching a warm metallic object. It was an exquisitely crafted silver bell, its surface etched with mysterious runes that glowed with a faint red light under the moonlight.

When Ye Yan held it, it felt as if he were cradling a breathing heart.

A strange, unidentified item.

Ye Yan stored the bell within his own consciousness space.

[Heart-Knocking Bell]

[Category: First-Order Curio]

[We are the ceaseless rhythm beyond the silence.]

[Aspect: Heart]

As he had expected, the bell retrieved from Julie was a Curio, and its Aspect was a principle Ye Yan had never encountered before.

The Principle of Heart is linked to skin and anatomy, representing the unstoppable force within adversity.

It signifies endurance and continuation, life and protection; it is the ceaseless drumbeat and dance, pulsing endlessly to protect the skin of the world.

A seemingly benevolent principle.

Ye Yan pondered.

The reason he used the word "seemingly" was that the description of the Principle of Heart did not consist entirely of positive terms.

Through the provided description, Ye Yan also understood the purpose of the Heart-Knocking Bell.

Shaking the Heart-Knocking Bell would cause a target who heard the chime to briefly fall into a state of confusion, with the cost being that the user would suffer the same state of confusion seven days later.

However, compared to the Shell-Opening Blade, this cost seemed somewhat insignificant.

Conversely, the "door-opening" ability of the Shell-Opening Blade was far beyond what the Heart-Knocking Bell could compare to.

Then again.

Among the many Curios he had encountered, the Shell-Opening Blade was the only one that made Ye Yan feel as though a soul truly existed within it.

He highly suspected that the Shell-Opening Blade was of a higher rank than the first order.

Because while other Curios each had their own unique features, none had ever given him the sensation of possessing consciousness.

But since he could not store it within his consciousness space, Ye Yan was unable to confirm this hypothesis.

"Sir?" Daphne's voice pulled him back to reality.

Ye Yan shook his head and took out the silver handcuffs specially made by the Administration. The cuffs tightened automatically upon touching Julie's wrists, locking her hands firmly in place.

"Let's go." He said to Daphne in a low voice, hoisting Julie onto his back. The witch's body was lighter than he had imagined, her long hair draping over his shoulders and emitting a faint scent of datura flowers.

Daphne's figure flickered in and out of sight under the moonlight.

"Sir, if she wakes up early..."

"Knock her out again," Ye Yan replied without hesitation.

"As you command, sir."

The journey home felt exceptionally long.

The night wind whipped up fallen leaves, swirling them around the group.

When the familiar light of the porch Lamp came into view, Ye Yan let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

The moment the door opened, Uncle Jules's expression was spectacular; his eyebrows nearly shot up to his hairline.

Jules squinted, eyeing the unconscious Julie.

"Oh my, oh my." He whistled, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Although I knew this day would come eventually, my dear nephew, you really shouldn't just pick up pretty women from the streets."

He was, of course, well aware of his nephew's situation.

Inside that twenty-something-year-old shell resided the soul of a minor.

But what did that matter?

In his experience wandering the four corners of the world, he had seen plenty of situations where women dressed so provocatively threw themselves at men.

What's more...

Jules glanced sideways at Ye Yan's bright red earlobes.

Given his nephew's pure-hearted nature, there was no telling who was taking advantage of whom.

Ye Yan felt a headache coming on.

Jules's squinting eyes clearly spelled out the words "Well done," and if he didn't explain himself, the man would likely be imagining all sorts of scandalous scenarios by now.

"She attacked me earlier."

Ye Yan interrupted Jules's reverie with a blunt tone.

The effect was immediate.

Perhaps even a little too effective.

Jules's smile froze instantly, and the dagger hidden in his sleeve snapped out, the tip pointing directly at Julie's heart.

"Wait!" Ye Yan sidestepped to avoid it, though the hem of Julie's dress was sliced open.

The tip of Jules's blade faltered for a fraction of a second.

The amusement in his eyes had vanished completely, replaced by deep concern and murderous intent.

"You foolish nephew, don't let a pretty woman bewitch you. You should know that the prettier they are, the more dangerous they become. When I was a sailor, I saw the most venomous sea snakes, and they couldn't compare to a vicious woman—they can take your life right in the marriage bed!"

"It's not what you think." Ye Yan sighed helplessly.

He dropped Julie from his back onto the floor and lowered his voice. "She is from Witch Lane. I need to use her to make a deal with them, so she cannot die."

Jules spat fiercely.

"I knew it! A woman like this doesn't dress like a decent person!"

Ye Yan watched as Uncle Jules circled the unconscious witch, inspecting her as carefully as if he were checking ropes on a deck.

Then, he suddenly crouched down, his calloused hands roughly pulling open the collar of Julie's shirt.

Just as Ye Yan moved to stop him, he saw Jules pull a silver needle wrapped in black hair from a hidden lining.

"See that? Women have plenty of places to hide things!" Jules triumphantly brandished the weapon, which glinted with an eerie light. "Learn from this, you foolish boy!"

Without waiting for Ye Yan to respond, he dragged her into the living room.

Jules tossed Julie onto the floor, turned, and rushed into his room, emerging a moment later dragging a coil of anchor chain.

He efficiently trussed Julie up like a dumpling, wrapping the heavy iron chain three times around her slender waist and locking the end directly onto the living room's load-bearing pillar.

Ye Yan hesitated.

"Uncle Jules, isn't this a bit..."

"I'm already showing restraint!" Jules waved his hand dismissively. "This woman dared to strike at you; the fact that I didn't kill her is getting off easy."

"Right, almost forgot!"

He rushed back into his room with excitement, returning with a roll of medical bandages.

"Wrap this around her mouth." Jules grinned, his fingers nimbly tearing the bandage. "I guarantee she won't be able to chant any spells..."

The corner of Ye Yan's mouth twitched.

Does Uncle Jules have a treasure chest hidden in his room? How does he pull everything out of there?

"Don't tie it too tight." Seeing Jules about to wrap the bandage around Julie's mouth for a third time, Ye Yan quickly pressed his hand down. "I have an agreement to trade with Witch Lane in three days. I'll need to untie her during that time so she can eat."

"Fine." Jules let go, looking disgruntled.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "We can't just stare at this witch forever. I plan to borrow a hound from the Administration. With a hound here, we can relax quite a bit."

Ye Yan nodded. "You're right."

He looked down at the shadow at his feet and whispered, "Daphne."

The shadow rippled like water, and the figure of the girl with heterochromatic eyes gradually emerged. Her body was already beginning to turn translucent; clearly, the time limit for the summoning was approaching.

"Your time is almost up," Ye Yan said gently. "Go home and see your mother while you can."

Daphne nodded slightly, her figure fading away like morning mist, leaving behind only a soft, "Goodnight, sir."